Ours
by PiperElizabethMcLean
Summary: We'll finally have something to call ours- nothing we'd have to share with the rest of the Flock.  Fang has something to tell Max, and it doesn't entirely have to do with Temple Run... More on the lines of running off to an island together. Alone, that is


Ours

******One-shot. Fang has something to say to Max... And it's not entirely about Temple Run.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. I only own the plot for this one-shot.**

"What are you doing?" Max asked, tucking a strand of loose and annoying hair behind her ear. When it wouldn't stay put, she sighed and (unsuccessfully) tried to ignore it.

"Planning our wedding via iPhone," Fang answered his girlfriend sarcastically. When the boy didn't speak, she wanted him to. When he did, she wanted to castrate him.

"WHAT?" Max squeaked, trying to (again, unsuccessfully) snatch the iPhone 4S from his steel-like grip. She knew Jeb shouldn't have bought that phone for the Flock.

"That was a joke." He grumbled, "I'm playing Temple Run. You're going to be the one to plan our wedding when that day comes," Fang smirked. He died on Temple Run, but it was worth it to see the look of shock on her face when she heard him.

"Fang," Max hissed,nudging him with her mountain boot, "Hush!"

She couldn't let him put thoughts of marriage in the children's heads, especially when her mother wouldn't allow that anytime soon.

But it was too late; thirteen year old Gazzy was looking at Nudge with his mouth in the shape of a big O. He was probably silently begging her to start planning it. Gazzy was always up for a party these days, and with Nudge planning it the fake-wedding was sure to be a hit if not enormously huge with everyone in the next three cities invited.

"I can see it now- white dresses, black suits, cake and dancing!" Nudge chirped, instantly pulling out her sketchbook Dr. m had given her for Christmas. She started sketching a wedding scene- complete with a bride and groom shoving cake in one another's mouths.

"No, Nudge," Max groaned as she leaned back from her branch above the rest of the Flock's. They were in the Martinez's backyard, smack in the middle of her beloved Maple tree planted just for this purpose three years ago when they moved in after the big war.

"We're nineteen. WAY too young for all that," Iggy said from his own branch, right beside Fang's, but a bit more to the side.

"That means you're almost an adult," Nudge shrugged. She didn't see what was wrong with getting married at an early age. "When I turn nineteen, i'm marrying a prince."

Of course she was. She was sixteen and still on her ambition list was to be a princess- right under wedding planner, clothes designer, hair stylist and artist.

"Well, i'm no prince, but I think nineteen would be a great age," Gazzy smirked, reaching up from his branch and grabbing her hand.

Ever since the world's populations reduced down to half, Gazzy had realized his "love" for Nudge, and she was just happy to finally have someone to personally talk to- even if he was WAS over-protective and cheerful about everything she did.

"Oh, Gaz," Nudge rolled her eyes as she pulled her hand away to inspect her nails that were still drying from her manicure she had given herself. Even from her branch, Max swore she could see the sparkles on the long nails. "You silly boy."

Even though there was an age difference of three years, Nudge thought of him as older, probably because the growth spurt he had taken on made him taller than she was.

"Guys! Come inside! It's going to start raining soon!" Ella called from the back door. Iggy jumped from his branch t"e minute he heard her voice, following it until he came to a stop in front of her, curling his hand around hers.

Love was in the air, as well as heat and mist from the bipolar weather.

"I guess we should go," Nudge sighed, placing her book in her bag and jumping down from her branch. Gazzy scrambled after her, leaving Fang, Max and Angel.

"See you inside," Fang said once he realized Max wasn't going to join him in walking inside.

"You wouldn't mind marrying him." Angel said, eerily quiet and calm after Fang went inside.

Max nodded for her answer, there was no arguing with the mind-reader, as creepy as it may be.

"He didn't think or denying it, either." She whispered, even though there was no need to. They were the only people outside, unless you counted old Magnolia in the corner of the yard sniffing the patches of clovers.

"Really?" Max wanted to ask, but all that came out was a stifled voice crack.

"Oh, Max. You just don't get it. He loves you," Angel laughed, even though it wasn't funny.

"I know." She said back, stepping up to her leader-voice. She wasn't going to take crap from Angel, even if she was her 'baby'. She may have grown up some after the apocalypse, but she wasn't in control no matter what she tried to convince Max of.  
>"Then why do you tease him? He deserves better, you know." She sighed.<p>

Was she saying she could fit the expectations of Fang? She was sure acting like it. And for Peter's sake, she was seven years younger than he was. She couldn't even get him to look at her with any emotion besides a casual glance. As far as Max knew, they were only acquaintances after what went down during the last fight they had (turns out it was over who was giving Max a new windbreaker for Christmas).

"No, no, no, I'm NOT suggesting that," Angel said with a wave of her hand. She acted so innocent about it, and Max could tell she had at least thought about it. She crossed her arms, annoyed, and stared at Angel. "It's just, if you lived up to his expectations, he'd be happier. You're so... Dry, and he's so... Not. If you could liven up a bit-,"  
>"Ange?" Max sighed, looking at her youngest Flock member.<br>"What?"

"Don't tell me how to run my life and I won't tell you how to run yours."

Angel took in a shaky breath, narrowed her eyes and scowled. She copied Max's position- crossing her arms and standing with her feet shoulder width apart.

"Max-,"  
>"Drop it," Max demanded, brushing past her. "We're not having this fight. Not here, not now. Especially when there's perfectly good cookies inside."<br>Just as Max had her fingers curled around the door handle, Angel spoke up, her back still to Max. She was still in the same position as earlier- her arms crossed up. Her hair lifted in the wind- the curls had gotten longer and she had trouble every morning untangling them.  
>"You won't be the leader for much longer, Max."<br>"Oh, but I will be." She called back, opening the door calmly but answering in a chilling voice. "You just won't be around much longer to see it if you keep talking like that."

And with that, Max entered the house swiftly, leaving Angel to face the rain that had suddenly started to trickle, like a setting on the shower head Angel used every night.

"We'll see," She snapped to no one in particular. She trudged to the door, knowing Dr. M wouldn't like the mud she would be tracking in but stomped inside anyways.

-/\/\AXI/\/\U/\/\-

Max was PO'd about earlier, but she wasn't going to let it get to her. Instead, she vented to Fang in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

"We could do it, you know." Fang whispered after Max's rant.  
>"Do what?" Max asked, surprised. They were just talking about Angel's creepiness today and now he's completely random.<br>"Go away. Get out of here; find an island somewhere. I don't know," he said, hiss voice dropping as he readied himself for the ending. "Get married."  
>"Fang!" Max said, completely taken by surprise at what he said.<p>

Run away? From what? She was in control here. She didn't have anything- or anybody-to run from. And he's always wanted to just "go find an island somewhere", so what brought at up after being sheltered and completely safe in the Martinez's new expanded house so that every member of the Flock and the Martinez family had their own room- including Total.

"Where did this come from?" She demanded, even though she could feel the redness creep onto her face.

He wanted her. He wanted her to run away with him, to live alone- to marry him. But they weren't talking fairytale-land here, so it wouldn't be possible.

"We could do it," He repeated, climbing on the bed from his spot on the computer chair beside her desk. He climbed next to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down so that they faced the ceiling, where Max had drawn swirled with a magic marker she had found when her mother locked her in her room for a "punishment" for bickering with Angel for too long. (Wasn't it over the color of Magnolia's doghouse? Or was it over the last piece of pizza? Who knows.)

"You're delirious," She whispered, leaning into him and cuddling her head into his chest. His hand crept up her stomach until it rested on her hip, pulling her closer- if possible.

"We could raise a Flock of our own."

Max's stomach did dips and flips. Why the talk of winged-children so sudden? And she's not talking cherubs here. She's talking Fang juniors here.

She also thought about what they would look like- the kids, that is, not the cherubs- would they have Fang's eyes? His hair? Max's eyes? Her hair?

Suddenly, the idea sounded amazing to her. She leaned up slightly and pressed her lips to his, desperately, to show him what she thought of the plan.

Soon, she was on top of him, grabbing at his hair and pulling him closer- again, of possible.

"Max, hold up," Fang stopped her, pulling back to see her face. "I didn't mean NOW. I meant, you know, AFTER we were married..."

Max's face grew hot. She knew he hadn't meant RIGHT NOW, but she still wanted to show him her approval of the plan. She could see his raised eyebrows, and she could feel his tiny circular motions his fingers made on her hips. Was he saying he wasn't ready? Of course he was! He had suggested it, anyways.

"Come here," He smirked, pulling her back to his lips and kissing her softly.

She want sure what "here" was, technically, because she was where he was, but there was no need to get technical now. Now was a time for them- their time. Time she treasured each and every moment of, even if they had to find random moments in the middle of the night just to get away from Dr. M, Ella, the Flock and even total who constantly begged for her attention.

Fang picked her up and moved her off his lap. Her raised eyebrow questioned why, but it vanished as he got down on one knee.

She tried not to say anything. She tried not to shriek-this was happening. It was actually happening. Fang was proposing! Or was he tying his shoe?

Nope, he was proposing! He was reaching for her free hand (the other was covering her gaping mouth) and she felt the tears spring from her eyes without warning.

After everything she'd been through, she can't keep herself from crying over a freaking proposal? Is she crazy? No, she's just... In love? Nah. Emotional? It's not her time of the month, so it's not that. Sad? Maybe. She could be sad about leaving the Flock behind if this was actually a proposal. Happy? Defiantly. But she never cried when she was happy! She couldn't remember a time when... Oh, there was that one time with Akila and Total's first litter, but that was a different kind of happy.

"Max, look at me," He whispered.

She hadn't even noticed she was looking away, thinking of everything the Flock had been through together. She knew they had to break away someday. They wouldn't stay together forever. It wouldn't be possible. Angel would most likely create a Flock of her own, probably by meeting up with the experiments that had escaped the Apocalypse.

Iggy and Ella really hit it off, so with no doubt they'd most likely create little Ella and Iggy juniors. Max shuddered inside at the thought. He was like her brother, anyways, and Ella was her sister.

Gazzy seemed to want to o anything for Nudge. If she wanted to run off and get married, he'd follow her to Brazil if needed. But Nudge wouldn't go too far from Max, and she knew it.

As for Fang and Max, they'd probably WOULD go to that island. Live in privacy, away from the world's drama. If only she'd open up more and let him in. If only she'd think about him instead of the rest of the Flock, who were all grown up now and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

"Will you marry me?" He whispered.

Som for her answer, she nodded and threw herself at him, hugging his neck and kissing his forehead repeatedly as he took the situation to his advantage and kissed her neck, softly at first then hungrily.

When he realized what he was doing, he pulled away, looking at what he had done.

"I will," She whispered back. "And I'll take you up on that island offer."

He grinned and scooped her up, kissing her deeply and standing so still, like a statue.

"It's okay, you can put me down." She whispered between hungry kisses.

He shook his head no while slowing down his kisses. He wanted to save her- save her for their special day. Special night. Their wedding night. So when he explained it to her, she nodded understandingly.

"It'll be ours." She grinned, sliding out of his arms and landing softly on her feet. "We'll have our own Flock, too,"

She hated the idea of being pregnant- how hard it would be to fly!- but if that's what Fang wanted was a family, she owed him at least that.

"We'll tell Dr. M tomorrow," he said, kissing her nose and turning toward the door.

Fang was sure he'd be dreaming about kissing, white dresses and little kids with black hair and brown eyes.

Max was sure she'd be dreaming of her mother, chasing Fang with a knife down the road.

But, both were excited. They'd finally have something to themselves, something they wouldn't have to share with the rest of the Flock. Something that would always be "ours" forever.


End file.
